It is widely known, based on scientific evidence that statins (cholesterol-lowering medications) are very effective at stopping coronary artery disease. However, according to a new study taking red yeast rice supplements, fish oil and proper exercise and diet can also be just as effective to help in reducing cholesterol like the statins.
There was a study that was conducted to show the effectiveness of taking red yeast rice and fish oil supplements along with proper diet and exercise when it comes to treating individuals with high cholesterol.
Red Yeast Rice & Fish Oil Study
In this study 74 people who had high cholesterol were used as subjects. They were divided into two equal groups where one half took red yeast rice and fish oil supplements, while the others took Zocor a statin drug. This trial was conducted over a period of 12 weeks.
Red yeast rice comes from yeast grown on rice and it is extremely popular in China for the treatment of many medical conditions. The red yeast rice contains many different compounds that are known to stop the production of cholesterol in the body. Triglycerides in the body of also been shown to be lowered by fish oil.
During the course of the study, the group who took Zocor on a daily basis for a given 40 mg of the medication and also receive counseling and reading material related to exercise and diet.
The other group was given three fish oil capsules two times a day. It was also noted that people who had LDL cholesterol that was higher than160 mg/dL were also given 3.6 g of red yeast rice a day. For individuals who had LDL cholesterol lower than160 mg/dL they were given 2.4 g of red yeast rice a day.
The group who also took supplements also participated in meetings that focused on exercise and diet. This group was also encouraged to follow a strict that and do more exercise.
The Results of the Study
After three months of participants in the study had their bad cholesterol levels checked. In both groups the levels had decreased almost the same. The group that took Zocor noticed a reduction in their LDL cholesterol by 39%. The group that the supplements noticed a 42% drop in theirs.
It was also noted that the group who took the fish oil and red yeast rice supplements also lost on average about 10 pounds in 12 weeks. The group who took Zocor did not see any significant reduction in their weight.
The lead researchers are likely that the results of the study showed that taking supplements can reduce cholesterol levels if mixed with a proper diet and exercise regimen.
The researchers note that there needs to be a bigger, longer and more diverse trial that will be able to show long term benefits associated with the use of these supplements.